TRUMP CONTINUES TO SHOW HE DOESN’T BELIEVE IN “FREEDOM OF THE PRESS”

…WAPO Opinion Writer, Dana Milbank

The White House is purging journalist’s credentials for access to the White House

Anyone who has followed my blog is aware of my long-time respect for the Washington Post opinion writer, Dana Milbank.  I have been fortunate to have a couple of The Post’s writers including Milbank, for recognizing my blog as being relevant to today’s politics.

But Milbank in particular, has been very relevant to Washington politics, and for the past 21 years, he has held a White House Press Pass.

Dana has covered the Bill Clinton - Monica Lewinsky affair,  he was there on 9/11, and he covered George W. Bush and the Iraq War debacle.  He also covered Obama’s remedies for the 2008 Market Crash.

Most recently he has cataloged the carnival like antics of the Donald Trump presidency and White House.

However, as of this week, that is no longer the situation.

The White House had already eliminated most of their press briefings, and they severely restricted access to many official events.  But this week they really made a mark for becoming another Banana Republic.  After covering four presidents, Mr. Milbank received an email informing him that Trump’s press office had revoked his White House credential.

Yes, one of the most respected WAPO opinion writers has now had his magical ticket to the White House, revoked.

And, he wasn’t the only journalist.

Milbank was part of a mass purge of “hard pass” holders after the White House implemented their new standard that has “un-qualified” almost the entire White House press corps.  This includes all seven of The Post’s White House correspondents.  White House officials then “chose” which journalists would be granted those “exceptions.”

It did all this over objections from most news organizations and the White House Correspondents’ Association.

Of course, The Post requested those “exceptions” for all of its seven White House reporters, and for Milbank, saying that this access is essential to their work.  In Dana’s case, since he often writes humorous  “sketches” describing the White House scene, he would obvious need an “exception”.  The White House Press Office, in all its profound knowledge, they granted “exceptions” to the other legitimate seven WAPO reporters, but not to Milbank.

Dana’ strongly suspects his revoked pass is because he’s considered a “Trump critic”, and Trump only wants certain news organizations in the White House that support the president.  You know, similar to other authoritarian countries.  (This is also why Trump is taking on the Democratic House in their efforts to be a “check” on the Executive Branch” as is required in the US Constitution.)  

This move is perfectly in line with Trump’s banning of certain news organizations, including The Post, from his campaign events and his threats to revoke White House credentials of any journalists he doesn’t like personally.

This is not exactly what is described as “Freedom of the Press”, as is also noted in the US Constitution.

The White House officials have not provided any explanation to Milbank, just for the record

It's easy to take our “press freedom” for granted.  That is, until journalists are banned or they go missing.  The American journalist, Austin Tice, is still missing in Syria, it's time to bring him home. 

Dana has stated that he is not looking for pity.  Trump’s elimination of briefings and other changes have already devalued all White House coverage.  But there’s something seriously wrong with a president having the power to decide which journalists can cover him.  Trump is not a king, or a dictator, even though he really wants to be one.

Today, virtually the entire White House Press Corps is credentialed under Trump’s “exceptions.”  Basically, this means that they all serve at the pleasure of press secretary, Sarah Sanders and the president.  In other words, in theory, they can have their credentials revoked any time they annoy Trump or his aides.  

CNN’s Jim Acosta annoyed Trump, and his credentials were revoked.  Last year, Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, ordered the White House to restore Acosta’s press credentials, saying that the White House’s process for revoking his access was “shrouded in mystery.”  The reality is that Acosta strongly questioned Trump at a White House press conference and he pissed-off the president.

The new White House rule is “no credentials to any journalist who is not in the building on at least 90 out of the previous 180 days”.  In other words, seven of every 10 workdays.

The White House wouldn’t provide any numbers, but it appears that most of the White House press corps doesn’t qualify for their credentials under the new standard, including regulars for The Post and for the Associated Press.

And why is that?  Well, Trump, who has spent more than 200 days at his Trump properties, and many more on national and world travel, is barely in the White House himself.  Many of these reporters are following Trump to his properties or following his travels.

The White House said it would grant exceptions for “senior journalists” who are “consistently engaged in covering the White House” and for those with “special circumstances.”

But their “culling activity” has eliminated some, and the victims hurt most were freelance camera operators and technicians, who could now lose their livelihood.

The White House, in rescinding Milbank’s credentials, told him that he had been in the building only seven times in the previous 180 days.  Well, having two, foot surgeries during that period kept him at home.  But Dana wouldn’t have come close anyway to the 90-day standard.  He covers all of political Washington, not just the White House.

But more important is that the White House is drastically cutting access for all journalists.  

Briefings have been abolished in favor of unscheduled “gaggles”.  These are those impromptu and haphazard meetings in the White House driveway.  The Pentagon and State Department have done similar changes.

The White House has also restricted access by allowing only one journalist from a news organization at most events, and by admitting journalists to events only if they register days in advance. This has sharply reduced journalists’ attendance at the White House.

And this is our Freedom of the Press...?

White House officials have offered Milbank and others it had disqualified, a lesser credential called a “six-month pass”. They say it will grant equivalent access, but for various technical reasons, that is totally false.

Dana says he will keep covering the White House, but for now, from a distance.

He’s waiting for things to return to normal…… if ever they do.

Copyright G. Ater 2019